Education for sustainability:

What is it?

Skills for sustainability (also known as green skills) are the technical skills, knowledge, values and attitudes needed in the workforce to develop and support sustainable social, economic and environmental outcomes in business, industry and the community.

Sustainability issues take on different forms across subject areas and this flexibility is fundamental for effective sustainability education. ‘Sustainability’ is a contested, changeable concept and a challenge that shifts in relation to different problems and contexts.

Providing education for sustainability is not just about creating courses that target sustainability as a new subject area. It is about integrating sustainability learning opportunities across all subject areas, so that students will be better equipped to deal with sustainability issues in all aspects of life and question social thinking and practices which influence global-local futures.

'Sustainability'extends to (at least) the following dimensions:

[1] Environmental Sustainability: this may be achieved through practices such as– – Disposal / recycling / minimisation of waste and 'ecological footprint' – Efficient use of power, water and other resources: conservation where needed – Purchasing and office practices – Efficient communication – Work commute and travel patterns – Management practices – Biodiversity, habitat connectivity and work environment initiatives

[2] Economic Sustainability: this is a key consideration for organisations involved in the delivery of, for example, health and community services, where there is a focus on complex and difficult service delivery imperatives at the expense of profitability per se– – Efficient and effective management practices at all levels of the organisation – Availability of funding and appropriate practices to seek and achieve funding – Effective governance and financial management structures and practices

[3] Workforce Sustainability: further developing this dimension of sustainability would require– – Workers seeking debriefing and supervision or relevant organisations making such services readily available – Awareness and management of stress – Focus on working smarter rather than harder

[4] Social Sustainability: this broad outcome is a function of work in– – Community development and community services – Aged care and disability work in residential and home care environments – Mental health and Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) work – Social housing, advocacy and volunteering – Population health and Indigenous environmental health – Children's, youth and family services and protection – Employment, career development and counselling services

Environmentvalues and framework at VU:
http://intranet.vu.edu.au/facilities/Environment.asp

VU's Environment Policy document: http://wcf.vu.edu.au/GovernancePolicy/PDF/POP100827000.PDF

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Victoria University principles for education for sustainability (EfS)

1. Education for Sustainability at Victoria University recognises the Principles of Education for Sustainability as described in the Australian Government's 2nd National Action Plan, Living Sustainably, page 9*

2. Educating for Sustainability is an integral part of the curriculum across a course/program

3. Educating for Sustainability is clearly articulated in objectives and learning outcomes

4. Assessment criteria and activities define and enable choices that enhance environmental sustainability

5. Learning outcomes include an articulated and informed capacity to act for environmental sustainability

6. Educating for Sustainability is tailored to the discipline/study area and the occupational outcomes

7. Educating for Sustainability is incorporated in LiWC activities and assessment

8. Educators have the opportunity to undertake professional development to enable the confident integration of principles and practices of Educating for Sustainability

9. The environmental (including carbon) footprint is calculated and considered in the choices on materials and delivery mode

10. Education for Sustainability is resourced appropriately within courses and programs, and centrally

* Living Sustainably: the Australian Government's National Action Plan for Education for Sustainability: Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, launched April 2009 by the (then) Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts: full pdf and rtf versions available for download direct at . . .

http://www.environment.gov.au/education/nap/

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A starting point for practical guidelines:

The following Guidelines were developed by the Faculty of Arts, Education and Human Development Courses Committee, following wide staff discussion:

1. Unit Readers should not be printed but be available to students online so they can choose to read/print/save the materials

2. Double-sided printing should be routinely encouraged

3. Teaching staff should give students guidelines on whether work should be handed-in as double- or single-spaced. Single spacing is preferred.

4. A suggested font size of 12 in Arial Narrow should be used in teaching materials as it is space-efficient

5. Journal articles and lecture/tutorial notes to be set up electronically as two pages per sheet of paper

6.Plastic covers should be banned unless it is a very large piece of work that needs to be kept together

7. E-submission of papers from students should be encouraged, with the advantage of proof o of deadline submission

8. It is strongly recommended that readings be lodged on e-Reserve with the library

. . . and some changes recommended as VU-wide:

9. Change of paper grade available for general photocopying: recommend grey recycled paper

10. Smaller exam booklets should be mandated

11. The introduction of electronic screening of documents to all committees

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Embedding sustainability in the curriculum

VU is currently in a consultation phase, with a series of Workshops,a Travelling Forum and a Community of Practice, (the next is Tuesday 2nd August) through till August 2011: a concise set of practical guidelines, withe examples of effective embedding practice, are in development and will be published here soon

The VU sustainability value (from making VU 2016): some embedding curriculum basics–

Victoria University 's sustainability value focusses on 'Sound environmental stewardship for future generations'.

Sustainability means being able to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (World Commission on Environment and Development 1987, p. 8). Australia has adopted ecologically sustainable development as the means of attaining sustainability, defining it as the process of 'using, conserving and enhancing the community's resources so that ecological processes, on which life depends, are maintained, and the total quality of life, now and in the future, can be increased' (Commonwealth of Australia 1990, p. 6).

• To assist staff in considering the sustainability value
• and assess if this value has been embedded,
• or is beginning to be included into,
• the courses or groups of courses under review,
• the following questions are provided to assist the thinking and discussions which may take place during the development of course review documentation.

These are in no way definitive and may be used to provide some very broad guidance:

Does the course or group of courses under review provide opportunities for students to explore the principles of sustainability?

Does the course or group of courses under review provide opportunities for students to explore and justify their own environmental beliefs?

Does the course or group of courses being reviewed explore global and local interconnections between the environment and other systems?

Additionally the following learning outcomes may assist in determining if the sustainability value has been embedded into the courses or groups of courses under review:

Learning Outcome One - Are students able to explain the principles of sustainability?

Learning Outcome Two - Are students able to justify their own environmental beliefs?

Learning Outcome Three - Are students able to appreciate, in general terms, global and local environmental interconnections?

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Assessing and evaluating activities

Current and good practice exemplars:

Robert Ford and Colin Hocking want to hear from you! The EfS Community of Practice is mapping current activities, sustainability initiatives and ways of embedding sustainability in teaching and learning. Some of these have already been published as exemplars in the Learning and Teaching Good Practice Database: visit the database and search for Sustainability items, or submit your own.

More practical assessment and evaluation tips and recommendations will be published here after the EfS Community of Practice consultations are complete in August.

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